


Never Letting You Go

by RenRenSenpai, ScottScottSenpai



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Depression, Grief/Mourning, Internal Struggle, M/M, Sad Nico, Sad Will, Sad everyone ok?, Underworld, everyone is dying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-07-27 10:27:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7614529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenRenSenpai/pseuds/RenRenSenpai, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScottScottSenpai/pseuds/ScottScottSenpai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which a battle leaves Nico and Will dying. But not for much longer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_ Two teenage boys crawled towards each other as hell broke loose around them. Screams pierced their ears as monsters ripped campers apart. Blood stained the ground a deep shade of Crimson. Dust and debris seemed to float in the air as the two boys slowly bled out.  _ __  
__  
_ One had three deep gashes across his back, from where a hellhound had buried its claws, exposing his spine. Whereas the other was missing his left leg, and several chunks of flesh were ripped from his abdomen. The two had collapsed next to each other, giving in to the excruciating pain. They embraced one another as  a flurry of arrows landed a few meters away from them. The blonde knew that there was no hope for them. Even if he could sit up, he would have had no energy to save the dark-haired boy in front of him, having healed many other campers before.  _ __  
__  
_ "Will?" One whimpered, his voice hoarse from the ash filling his lungs.  _ __  
__  
_ "I'm here," the other replied hazily. "I won't let you go." _ __  
__  
_ "We-," The boy with a missing leg hacked and coughed, desperately attempting to breath in a full gulp of air. "We're... not going to make it..." More coughs and sputters. "You know that, right?" _ __  
__  
_ "Yeah." The boy with gashes replied, wincing as the legless boy wrapped his arm on the other's bloody back. _ __  
__  
_ "I don't want to lose you." The dark haired boy clung to the other.  _ __  
__  
_ The two looked each other in their dying eyes. "Don't worry death boy," black dots began to grow in his vision. "I'll... Never let you go..."  _ __  
__  
_ "We'll get separated." _ __  
__  
_ The blond boy though of this, but came to a conclusion. "Then we'll wait for each other. Where Chiron will ask for coins."  _ __  
__  
_ The dark haired boy wearily nodded his head. "Then... I'll see you there." _ __  
__  
_ The two blacked out, waiting to reunite in limbo together. Where they would be judged and granted access to Elysium.  _ __  
_  
_ __ But that was not to be so. 


	2. Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone dies.

The blond boy woke up in what looked like to be a lobby, filled with people sitting in stained couches and wandering aimlessly around the room. He knew however, that these people were dead.

Many had bloodstained clothes, while others were in hospital gowns and otherwise unstained clothes.

The office looked old, as if it had faded out of sync with the rest of the world. However, there was an elevator set in the wall to his left, and it seemed to the blond boy as though it were glowing slightly. The elevator rang, and the doors slid open. The doors opened, and Charon stood imposing in the doorway. Two ghosts mindlessly got up and got in the elevator. The doors closed, and two new ghosts filled their places.

The blond one recognized one of the ghosts from camp, a son of Nemesis. He whipped his head around, as if startled to find Will dead. His bad eye was covered by his eyepatch, although it still seemed to stare right through Will.

The blond one got up from his seat, and strutted over to the boy. He looked up and stared at the numerous gashes covering the blond’s body, some of which were eaten away by poison.

The blond stood up, and pulled two golden drachmas out of his pocket. “Well at least things couldn’t get any physically worse,” the son of Nemesis said. “I never thought that you would die so soon. Or that you would take pity on me.” The blond didn’t want to take pity on him, but the one that the coin was for wasn’t there with him.

“I wasn’t the only one.” The son of Apollo looked down and remembered the others that died in the fight at the camp. “ I mean, none of us were supposed to die, but we were all placed in bad situations.” The son of Nemesis rolled his eye, and walked over to the elevator and hit the down arrow. The elevator dinged, and opened to show Charon standing there.

“Son of Apollo, and son of Nemesis. You both seek something across the river, am I correct?” They looked at each other, and nodded. The son of Nemesis handed Charon the two drachmas and they both stepped into the elevator. It shook into operation, and the elevator dropped out from beneath them. They jumped and grabbed the walls for support as Charon gazed straight ahead, unmoved by the motion.

The elevator finally stopped, and the doors opened to show the redness of the hell staring back at them. A boat moved silently through the air towards the door, bumping into the lost and forgotten objects of the dead humans. The three stepped into the boat, and Charon began to row. The river Styx came into view, and the dead humans stared at its red and yellow waters.

The river passed beneath them, and the screams of the punished and the barks of hellhounds became audible. The fields of punishment came into view, showing the many who had wronged the world. The ground rose up to meet the boat on its ethereal journey. The boat silently hit the ground and the two dead humans disembarked. They walked towards the line of souls and the entrance to hell.

Cerberus stood guard over the line. His shadow constantly moved, as the three heads always got distracted by something or other. When the two walked up, all three heads turned towards them. The line parted. The son of Nemesis began to shake from fear, and began forward, followed by the blond boy.

They passed all the other souls waiting to be tried. They got through the gates and entered the trial area. They saw the three judges sitting in their regal seats above the judged. The blond boy was judged first.

He didn’t remember much about the trial, except that it was filled with the ups and downs that became Will Solace’s life. The only thing he knew was that he couldn’t see Nico again. And he knew that he would rather die again than live through that hell. So he choose the only option that he wouldn't have to live with.

He said the words.

The gavel slammed down, cementing his choice.

The door exploded behind him, and the boy with the missing leg hobbled in, and the boy behind him fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably made this too easy for you RenRen. But good luck.


	3. Redemption

_ The boy with a missing leg looked as if had crawled out from the pits of Tartarus. Blood poured from the countless gashes scattered about his abdomen. His head lowered and staring at the cold floor. He hobbled closer and closer to the blond, leaning on a sword that seemed to radiate darkness, while a river of crimson splattered the ground as he stumbled forward. He was clearly alive, which confused any onlooking spirits. The room had gone silent after the explosion of gravel, stone, and marble, with raspy breath and the slide and clink of the sword. Every soul watched, terrified, of the intruder.  _

 

_ “STOP,” the boy spoke loud and clear. The three judges looked on in terror as they realized who they were dealing with.  _

 

_ “Nico.” The blond whispered, eyes wide with concern and fear.  _

 

_ The son of Hades slowly made his way across the round judgement room, dyeing it with his  blood. “WILL,” he mumbled as he continued forward. The blond froze, paralyzed from what he was witnessing.  _

 

_ “What… What are you…” The son of Apollo spoke. “How are you…” The boy in front of him may have been alive, but his movements seemed mechanical and lifeless. His voice enforcing terror in all those around them. He wanted to embrace the living one, but felt glued to the spot.  _

 

_ “Nico di Angelo!” One of the judges yelled, “What are you doing here!” The shock began to dissipate amongst the three judges. “You should be back in the overworld! Not here!” Confusion spread amongst the onlookers, “You have yet to die!” The dark haired boy stopped. All eyes on him. An eternity seemed to pass, silence falling upon them once again.  _

 

_ With his head still staring at the ground, he began to laugh. And start to move again. _

 

_ The judge, who had previously been king of ghosts, stood. “You must leave immediately.” But the boy continued his slow, mechanical pace. Chuckling as he went, “Did you misunderstand me?!” The judge started towards the son of Hades, “you must lea-” The judge was several steps away from the boy before a pair of rotting human hands and arms entangled the judge’s feet, causing him to fall.  _

 

_ Without looking up, the dark-haired boy spoke, “GET OUT OF MY SIGHT.”  A shadow towered over the judge, and collapsed upon him. A high-pitch pierced the air as the shadows engulfed him. When the darkness had cleared, the judge was  gone. The others stepped back in fear, not wanting to face the boy’s rage. Slowly and methodically the boy closed in on the blond.  _

 

_ Halfway there. Three-fourths of the way there. Several meters away. Several feet away. The staggering boy’s free hand stretched out. Three feet. Two feet. Stop.  _

_ The son of Hades planted his hand on the son of Apollo’s shoulder, and finally looked up. His face was covered in dirt and dust. Several deep cuts lined his forehead. His eyes were colorless and broken; a thin stream of tears ran down his cheeks. “I’m not letting you go.” He said, his expression was sorrow, yet a faint smile was shadowed his face. _

 

_ The blond was baffled. “W- what?” He stuttered.  _

 

_ “A soul for a soul.” He paused. “I’m not letting you die.” _

 

_ The son of Apollo stood there, frozen in his shock. “Nico… You can’t possibly mean-” He had started before being cut off when the son of Hades leaned forward and kissed the shocked boy. The metallic scent of blood overwhelmed him, as his other senses seemed to shut down. Exhaustion took the blond over and he began to sink. _

 

_ “Take care Will.” The son of Hades whispered.  _

 

_ “I love you.” _

 

_ And the world went black once again.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really Scott? Naming a chapter after I've named the first chapter "Chapter One"??? Ok. Have fun.


	4. Rebirth

__Will woke from the blackness again, next to Nico, who was also passed out. He looked around to see dying fires and dying children. The monsters sent by Nero had somehow made it past the magic barriers that protected the camp and attacked the campers, on the search for the teenaged Apollo.

Apollo however, had left a month ago to find Meg and hadn't returned. No one knows what had happened, only that Nero had felt the need to attack. And so he did.

Will looked around to see the extent of the damage and saw the most of the cabins had been destroyed, along with the the Big House, the amphitheater, and the dining hall.

And from what he could see, all of the campers except him and Nico were dead or mortally wounded. It was then that Chiron came bounding over the hills next to the strawberry fields. He looked over at the pile of dead campers, and kept going, out past the House and Thalia's tree. Will didn't think about calling out to him, and when he did, it was too late. He was gone.

It was then that Nico woke up next to him, sputtering. He coughed a few times, and then tried to sit up. Before he could sit up, Will was on top of him. He couldn’t believe that they were alive. The one thing that he could believe, in this mess of a world, was that Nico had broken the laws of the universe, both magical and mundane, to keep them together.

Nico however, was still trying to catch his breath and was caught off guard by the barrage of affection on top of him. Nico pushed him back so that they could be close, but so that Nico could also breathe. Will began to frantically check Nico over, looking at his wounds at his lack of a leg. He knew that it would be too late to save it, even with the healing powers of Apollo.

Nico started to sit up as Will ripped his shirt off to use for bandages. The healer wrapped his shirt around the stump of Nico’s leg and tied it off in an attempt to stop the bleeding. It was only then that Will realized that Nico was also alive. And he questioned how.

“You said a soul for a soul right?” Will asked quietly. Nico looked up at him with a pained expression on his face.

“Yeah,” he whispered. “You made your choice, so I made mine. But I wanted one last moment of happiness with you.” He smiled a little, and then winced in pain.

“My soul is currently being ripped from my body, so we don’t have much time,” Nico said. “This is my last goodbye.” He smiled again, and then fell back onto the bloodstained grass. He looked up at Will, and with his last breath, “I’m sorry.”

Will knew that they would never see each other again. Will had chosen to be reborn without any memory of the events of his life. And now Nico would be reborn instead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't even start with me about this Ren. And have fun.


	5. Misery

Will stared at Nico’s now lifeless body. “Nico?” He whispered. No response. “Nico.” He said a bit louder. Nothing. “Nico this isn’t funny.” Nothing. “Nico! Wake up.” Will commanded. “NICO!” He yelled. Some survivors heard the commotion. “WAKE UP!” The campers sprinted over. “WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!” Tears flowed. “NICO!” Campers looked on in horror. “NICO DON’T DO THIS!” The campers were forced to pull Will from Nico’s corpse. “NO. STOP! PLEASE!” One of the campers stuck Will with something. “NICO!” Everything went fuzzy. “DON’T LEAVE ME!” He felt tired. “PLEASE!” He fell to the ground. “Nico…” Will reached his hand out to the son of Hades. “I’m sorry…” The campers pulled him away. “I’m sorry…” Nico’s corpse grew further and further away. “I’m sorry.” Silence. “I’m sorry…” Nothing. “I’m… I’m…” Darkness.

* * *

 

_ Two young boys sat next to each other, gazing at the ocean. They spoke as the waves crashed into the shore. The breeze carried the sweet smell of the strawberry fields.  _

 

_ “How are things in the infirmary?” One asked as he plucked at the grass.  _

 

_ The other tied long strands of grass in knots. “Pretty good. There's not many people year-round,” he replied.  _

 

_ More pleasant chatter was swept away by the wind. Until the dark haired boy spoke coldly, “do you love me? Will?”  _

 

_ Everything seemed to freeze. The sound of the waves stopped. The breeze stood still. Even the bugs and birds seemed to vanish. “Nico?”  _

 

_ “Do you love me Will?”  _

 

_ “Of- of course I love you.” But the other boy would not look at him. “Are you ok?” The blond reached out. “Nico?”  _

 

_ Upon contact, the boy turned and stared into the other’s eyes. But instead of his normal, colorless, glass-like eyes, they were dark, hollow, and empty. “Then why did you let me die.”  _

 

_ The world crumbled away. The sky went pitch black. The pleasant breeze turned violent. The two boys stood, the grass withered and died. “Why did you kill me.” The boy lunged at the blond, gripping at his throat. _

 

_ “N- Nico… Stop… Please…” A snap pierced the air, and the world shifted.  _

 

_ A tall and scrawny man stood before the son of Apollo. The room seemed to be that of a throne room. There was a looming feeling of death and dread.  _

 

_ “You can save him.” He spoke. “He won't be reborn. Yet.”  _

 

_ “What can I do?” The blond asked.  _

 

_ The man looked sad as he gazed out to his left. “I want one of my children to be happy,” he said, pacing back and forth. “you solidified your decision for rebirth…” He looked back at the son of Apollo, his eyes colorless and broken, “so find someone to take his place.” The room went darker and darker. The man stepped toward the son of Apollo. Eyes burning into the blond’s soul.  _

 

_ “A soul for a soul…” Everything went hazy.  _

 

_ “And a body for a body.” _

* * *

 

Will woke with a start. He clutched his chest, his heart pounded against his rib cage. He looked around. There were others sleeping on thin mattresses. He gasped for air. But slowly, the realization set in. 

 

_ A soul for a soul. _

 

Nico for Will. 

 

_ A body _ … Will looked around him. Eyeing down other campers in fear. He couldn't. He wouldn't. But he wanted him back. He needed him. He had to. But he couldn't. 

 

_ A body for a body.  _

 

Another living person. For Nico. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sad now ;-;


	6. Goodbye

Nico woke up in his father's stinking palace. The black walls rose around him, surrounding him with their darkness. There was only on window inset into the door. From it came a small amount of light.

He stood up, and walked over to the door. He looked out, and saw only hallways extending to either side of the door. It was then that he noticed a slight subtle glow. He looked down, and saw that he was translucent, and that he didn't have any colour.

He was a ghost.

He had expected to be reborn already, not stuck in his father's palace as a ghost. At least he hadn't been reborn yet.

He walked back to the wall, and sat down with his back to the wall. He waited.

And waited.

And waited.

After a number of hours, he heard the telltale sounds of hell hounds coming down the hallways, their paws clicking against the stone floors. Nico sat there, waiting to see who was coming.

Persephone came into view, her face forever set in a look of dissatisfaction with the world. She fiddled with the lock, and opened the door.

“Go.” She was authoritative, and something in her voice told Nico that she shouldn't be messed with. He got up, and walked out. The hell hounds growled as he went. As he left, Persephone gave him more Pomegranate seeds. He looked at her, and gave her a quizzical look. She glared at him, and he left.

He ran down the corridor as the door slammed behind him and locked shut.

He ran through the castle, avoiding all of the rooms where his dad could be. He arrived at one of the secret exits, and walked through it, arriving in Central Park. He was surprised to see that Will was there, sitting in one of the benches.

Nico immediately became visible to Will and only Will, as there was another demigod sitting with him. They sat there, watching the people go by.

Will noticed him, and he became elated. It didn't seem that Will could be any happier.   
He got up, and ran to him, only for Will to pass right through Nico and and slam into a tree.

He sat on the grass as Nico ran over to check on Will. Both began to cry as they as they sat next to each other. Nico thought that he would never see Will again.

The two sat there for a few minutes, basking in each other's presence before speaking.

“Are you ok? What happened?” asked Will. He had stopped crying enough to form words.

“I was in Hades's palace and escaped with help from Persephone,” Nico replied. “It was nothing.” The two looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, smirking.

“I don't think I could've ever lived without you,” Will whispered. He looked happier than he'd ever been in his life, as though the weight of the sky had been lifted off of his shoulders.

“I-I-I'm not here permanently,” Nico replied. “I'm just here to say goodbye. I mean, I'm a ghost. I can't stay here forever.” Will looked at him in dismay, as though the world had been dropped on his shoulders again.

“But I thought-” Will began.

“No. I'm just here to say goodbye.” Nico began to cry. The two tried to hug each other again, and fell through the each other's arms.

They lay on the ground, enveloped by the leaves that had fallen off of the trees, in the same spot as the other. Nico moved so that he occupied the same space on the universe as Will, and he shared his memories.

Nico shared everything with Will: the moment of his birth, and the moment of his death. The first time that they ever met, the awkward interaction that had been filled with sexual tension. Nico shared the most horrifying moment of his life, when he phased Bryce Lawrence out of existence and made him into a wandering soul. Nico shared his regret, his greatest fear, and his greatest doubt. He shared his happiest moments, like when he and Will shared the kayak in the lake, and when he first made friends.

Will took it all, lying there in the exact same spot as Nico. After Nico was done, Will did the same. He shared his entire life, from birth to death, with Nico. They shared everything, except for a single thought located in the back of Will's mind, locked away until Nico left. Nico didn't notice it however, as he was locked in the other memories that flooded his brain from Will.

What they shared then was the most elemental of experiences, one that no other living souls had shared. They bared themselves beyond naked to each other, in the last moments that they had together.

The world took on a different view for both of them. Will saw the world through more blacks and greys, whereas Nico saw new colours for the first time. They both experienced them with delight, thrilled to see the world as how the other saw it.

It was then that Nico heard the bark hell hounds rising from the exit of the underworld. Quickly, the two got up. Will pulled his bow over his shoulder, and nocked an arrow.

“No! Will, you’re going to leave. You're going to live the full life that you have ahead of you and remember me. Ok? You're going to live away from here, in some stupid city, and not regret anything that you did today. Got it?” Will looked at him stubbornly, set to fight for the one that he loved.

“You can't help me. But I can help you. Let me.” Will stood his ground, unwilling to leave Nico to his fate.

“Just run you stupid boy. Let me become your past.” Nico pleaded with Will through his gaze. Will nodded, and began to cry again as he left Nico to be taken by the hell hounds, followed by the other demigod that had come with Will.

Nico turned towards the entryway as three hell hounds bounded through, followed by his father who looked more pissed than he ever had, with the flames on his chariot burning brighter than ever.

“Get on the damn chariot boy. We're going home,” yelled Hades. Nico stood his ground. He saw Will watching him from afar.

“Now,” Hades said. He began to get angrier, and just turned the chariot around and sped through the door.

The hell hounds pounced on him, and they dragged him back down to hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe.


	7. Desperation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which shit hits the fan.

Nico had gone, but Will still sat where Nico was. Every bit of emotion had been drained from him. He was tired. He was spent. All he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and wither away. And yet, he rose. He slowly walked away, staring at the ground. Time blurred together as he trudged back to a taxi, and to the familiar hills, leading back to his camp. Campers attempted to interact, to no effect. He  wandered the remains of the camp. The big house’s roof was torn apart, and spread across its yard. The Hephaestus kids had began re-construction of the cabins, wooden frames and walls were thrown up. All campers were bustling about, tending to the injured, carrying supplies, and cleaning debris. 

 

When Will saw this display, he sighed, and turned to walk into the forest. Friends had told him that it would clear his mind, and so he would  whenever he needed to relax. The leaves crunched and twigs snapped as he made his way through the trees. The cool autumn breeze sent shivers through him. He walked for what seemed like hours. The trail faded off, and small bits of foliage started to appear more and more. Squirrels scurried about as the son of Apollo trudged about. Finally, the blond stopped to determine where he was.

 

The trees cleared up to form a small clearing. The noises from the camp had faded out long ago, so the sounds of nature took over. Tufts of grass poked through a thin layer of leaves. The birds sang their songs. Bugs crawled around, desperately trying to make it to shelter. Small rodents scurried at the base of large oak and pine trees. 

 

Will stood in the middle of the clearing, taking in the beauty of the nature around him. The son of Apollo sat, and let his thoughts flow. His doctorly duties at camp. How he should have been helping. How everyone had been filled with grief. How everyone missed their dead friends.. 

 

How he had missed Nico. 

 

Tears squeezed out from Will’s eyes. His mind filled with the thoughts of his companion. His lover. How he would have to live the rest of his life without him. How he would have been reborn. How Nico might live. How he could live happily. Or how he could live in misery. How he could have lived peacefully in Elysium. How he would have waited for him. How all he could have done was grab something sharp, and jam it into his throat. How he could have joined his lover in Elysium. How they could have enjoyed the afterlife. 

 

But he had chose rebirth. And now they would never meet again. Will broke down, clawing at his hair, screaming at his choice. Tears streamed down his face. His nails dug into his skin. Small drops of blood dripped from where he ripped skin up. He curled up grasping his chest. His heart hurt. His body hurt. His mind hurt. His soul hurt. The world crumbled around him. Everything caved in. The gentle sounds of nature turned into screams of agony, ringing through the forest. All Will wanted to do was die. Die right there. End his miserable existence. 

 

End everything.

 

That is, until a voice called out. 

 

Will’s eyes flew back open, and he jolted back up. He turned to the source of the noise. A hiker. Not familiar to him. They must have been wandering the trails. 

 

“What’s wrong?” They called out, rushing towards the blond. They knelt down next to him, eyes filled with concern. “Are you ok? Where’s your parents?” Will could not respond. He felt something build up within him. “Can you hear me? How’d you get here?” Will dropped his head. “What’s wrong? You have to tell me!” Anger? Or perhaps annoyance? The stranger pulled at WIll’s shirt, attempting to get his attention, “Hello? Are you ok?” All Will wanted was to be alone. And now this thing ruined it. Was it frustration? “Hold on, I’ll call the police.” Great. Now more people would arrive. But what was it that slowly bubbled up inside him? The hiker pulled out a phone. “Damn it! No signal.” A memory began to surface. “Hold on, ok? I’ll try to get a signal. You stay here.” The hiker stood, and wandered around, waving their phone. The memory cleared. A proposition. “Yes! I got it!” The hiker cheered. The feeling boiled over. Will knew exactly what he was feeling.

 

Desperation. 

 

He stood slowly, catching the attention of the hiker. 

 

“You just wait there, ok?” The hiker tapped away at the phone. “I’ll call for help.” Will stared at the hiker, eyes glaring like an animal’s. The hiker froze, in fear? In terror? “Y- you-”

 

Will charged forward. He collided with the stranger. Screams pierced the air, and rang out through the forest. Will began to punch. He brought his fists down on the stranger’s face. A sickening crunch made the hiker scream again. Blood oozed from their shattered nose. In a desperate move, the stranger shoved the son of Apollo back, and attempted to scramble away. 

 

“GET BACK HERE.” Will screamed, chasing after them. He caught up in no time, dragging the stranger back to the ground. 

 

“PLEASE! STOP!” They screeched. “YOU’RE KILLING ME!” 

 

But Will didn’t care. He clawed at the stranger’s face. Ripping up skin and thin layers of muscle. Blood splattered around, staining the forest floor. Rage filled Will as all of his pent-up depression poured out. He grabbed at the hiker’s throat, and tore. He tore and tore and tore and tore away at their flesh. Chunks and chunks of meat were thrown away from its owner. The screams turned into garbled pleas. Why weren’t they dead. Will bashed the gaping hole that was left in the thing’s throat. Slowly snapping its spine. Bone cut into Will’s skin, adding more blood to the massacre. 

 

It. Still. Wouldn’t. Stop. Moving. He tore away at the thing’s face. Stop moving already. It twitched, but its hand fell and rested on the ground. It was dead. The deal was made. A man stood above the scene. A somber look pasted on his face. 

 

“I didn’t think that you would actually do it.” The boy slowly looked up, horror on his face. The realization. The man spoke once more. “He’ll be back. And that man,” he gestured at the bloody mess, “will be reborn.” The man started off, but paused. “Thank you.” He looked back at the son of Apollo. “Maybe now one of my children will be happy.” He vanished.

 

Leaving Will coated in blood, with tears streaming down his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lost approximately eighty percent of my sanity writing this. Worth.


	8. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the end. Nothing more to say.

Will opened his eyes and saw the leaves above him. He felt like he was dying inside, as though he himself were a leaf in Autumn. He laid there, and just breathed.

In. Out.

In. Out.

In. Out.

He sat up, and looked at the body on the ground next to him. Flies were starting to accumulate where Will had torn off chunks of the strangers flesh. The gaping hole in his throat looked as though it had been torn out by a wolf.

He looked down at himself, covered in the man's blood. It was on his hands, under his fingernails, splashed across his arms, across his torso, his jeans, his shoes… He understood what he had done.

He looked up again, away from the sea of blood, and watched as a breeze tore away some of the dead leaves and brought them towards the ground. One of them landed in a pool of blood, and floated there.

There was so much blood. Will wondered if some of it was his because there was no way that there was this much blood in a single person.

He laid back down, and broke into tears again, sobbing. He rolled onto his side, away from the body. That's when the smell hit him.

He threw up, heaving what little was left on his stomach onto the ground next to him. He had to get away from the smell of the body.

He got up, using the trees to help him balance as he stumbled away from the body.

It was just a body. The man's soul was gone, being placed into a new body, ready to be reborn.

The hiker would never remember his past life. He would never get to hike another mountain, another trail, or see his parents. He would never get to wake up as himself again. He would never get to see his friends, his family, or his old life. He would never get to wake up next to their person that he loved most in the world and eat a bowl of cereal with them, or tell them how much he loved him.

But Will could. Will could do all the things that this man would never be able to do. He threw up again, and looked at the body, unable to look away from its eyes.

It was just a body.

It was just a body.

it was just a body. There was nothing left of the hiker in there.

It was just a body. Yet Will couldn't stand to look at it, to be near it.

He kept stumbling his way through the forest, back the way he came, heaving and crying all the way back. Wherever he went, all of the animals were gone, hiding in their burrows and homes.

He eventually reached camp, stumbling forward and falling on the ground without the support of the trees. He pushed up, and was able to sit up, and move so that he could sit against a tree. He looked at all the other campers, and watched them work.

He watched as Nico stumbled out of the Hades cabin, dazed and confused and looking for Will. Will sat there, unable to move, unable to face Nico. He watched as the campers helped him, unable to believe that he was alive. They set him on the ground and refused to let him up to search for Will.

  
Will watched as they looked him over, searching for any injuries. They didn't find any, and began to ask him what happened. He didn't answer, but sat there, silent.

Will shakily got up, and began to stumble towards Nico. Someone noticed Will coming towards them and stood up. Everyone looked towards Will walking towards them, covered in blood. The camp fell silent as Will stumbled into the clearing next to the campers. He fell down in the grass, about 10 feet away from the campers. Nico shoved his way past them to get to Will, and fell down next to him in the grass. The blood from the dead man got on the grass, staining the green ground.

Will sat up and fell into Nico’s arms, and broke down.

They sat there, not noticing that the other campers got up and left them, not questioning how Nico was alive, or why Will was covered in blood.

Nico sat there, holding Will, unable to think, just holding Will’s head.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know how I could’ve lived without you.” Will was barely audible. Nico hadn’t noticed that Will had stopped crying. Nico looked down, and looked into Will’s red eyes. Will laid his head back down, and Nico continued to look down at him.

Will whispered again, although Nico was unable to hear what he said. Nico looked down at Will again, and Will repeated himself so that Nico could hear it in the silence.

“It’s over, isn’t it?”

 

 

 

 

 The Next Day

 

Will saw the newscast and tried to look away, but couldn't.

“Today, a 20 year old hiker named Greg Jackson was found torn to shreds in the woods of Long Island. The hiker was walking alone to a camping ground on the north end of the island when he was attacked and killed. The police say that he was attacked by someone who was feigning sickness, as the man recoiled from a spot on the ground and then fell over as the attacker slashed his throat and his chest. The attacker left a trail of blood that went into the woods, but the police lost it and have been unable to relocate it. While the police claim that the attacker was a man of similar size and weight to the hiker, some think that the attack was done by a large animal. We’ll have more of this story as it comes in.”

It wasn’t over. 

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is a little battle between ScottScottSenpai and I. Hopefully it produces good results. But as for now, your move Scott.


End file.
